'Ironheart' on Disney+: The young genius from the streets of Chicago
Marvel Studios is no factory. Superheroes are not assembly line products. It's better to think of Disney's subsidiary as an experimental farm, where teams of scientists tinker with genes and cross bloodlines to produce beings that resemble living creatures but exist solely to entertain consumers. The work has become more challenging: the conclusion of the Avengers-focused cycle and the studio's box office disappointments have slowed the pace of new superhero launches. Until now, this year's only notable revival was Daredevil.
Here is the new arrival for the class of 2025: Riri Williams, who made her on-screen debut (though she has appeared in comic book form since 2016) in Black Panther. Wakanda Forever. She is a scientific prodigy, a streetwise kid from Chicago's South Side, an admirer of Tony Stark (she works to perfect the concept of smart metal armor) and a student at MIT in the opening scenes of the first episode. But Riri Williams is used to living on the margins, both of society and legality, and her small business selling exam results leads to her expulsion.
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